Jazzed-up Italian fare at Gaetano's in Forest Park

June 18, 2009|By Phil Vettel, TRIBUNE CRITIC

Gaetano's **

On a busy weekend, when the best use of his time probably would have been fussing over his upscale Italian food, Gaetano Di Benedetto was outdoors, sportingly manning a food booth and vending Italian beef sandwiches at Forest Park's annual Summerfest.

"They killed me," says Di Benedetto of the Summerfest crowd. "I probably sold more [food] out there than we did in here; that's how busy it was. And I'm not used to doing beef sandwiches. But I survived."

That's the way to view 1-year-old Gaetano's. It's a sophisticated restaurant with a neighborhood sensibility, a place that can delight foodies with a note-perfect rigatoni alla Trasteverina (highlighted by house-made fennel sausage and a tomato-cream sauce dotted with goat cheese) but isn't too proud to jazz up a shrimp bisque with Louisiana spices and dub it "gumbo mambo Italiano."

Di Benedetto, a native of Palermo, knows his Forest Park audience. He ought to; his prior restaurant was La Piazza, another impressive, intimate Forest Park spot that had a nice, five-year run before a partnership dispute forced it to close.

He's kidding. You need a crowbar to get into this place on Thursday nights, when Di Benedetto features no-cover live music (jazz guitarist Paulinho Garcia was the featured performer recently), and he augments his regular menu with a lengthy selection of pizzas. (I liked the tirolese, topped with speck, mozzarella and chopped olives, and the sausage-broccoli pizza. But there are plenty more to try.) Weekend tables are tough to get in this 68-seater too. This despite the fact that Gaetano's isn't playing to the budget-conscious crowd; although there's no shortage of entrees under $19, his fish and meat entrees stretch to the upper-$20s.

Di Benedetto's cooking is steeped in Italian tradition, though his definition of tradition is notoriously wide; as far as he's concerned, anything Marco Polo hauled around with him is fair game. Back at La Piazza, he produced a roasted red snapper with a curry-banana sauce. ("I made that in Palermo when I was 13," he maintained at the time.) These days, he'll indulge in such "sins" as sprinkling pecorino Romano cheese over mussels; "It's a big controversy," he says. "We say, 'no cheese with fish,' but I do the mussels in a Roman sauce designed for pasta, with tomatoes and black pepper."

With another dish, he turns tradition upside down. His menu includes a pollo al mattone, a pretty straightforward brick chicken (the herb-marinated bird is baked under a heavy brick, flattening the meat for more uniform cooking). But he also offers escolar al mattone, only this time the protein (four uniform escolar fillets) does its cooking on top of the brick. The fish is brought to the table, still sizzling on the hot brick, for a bit of theatricality.

Beef short ribs over risotto, served with gremolata, is a simple but delicious variant of osso buco. Duck over risotto, however, is a different animal entirely; the risotto and duck (and wild mushrooms and cheese and a touch of blueberry) are wrapped in foil and baked, a papillote-style preparation that does well by the rice (the risotto emerges creamy and delicious, full of mushroom flavor) but turns the duck meat prematurely gray, though it tastes fine. If you insist on pink duck, look elsewhere.

Not everything gets raves. I liked the cheese-filled zucchini blossoms, with their subversive dash of chili pepper, but there were only two blossoms on the $12 plate. A Mediterraneo salad (arugula, avocado, hearts of palm) that was supposed to include a drizzle of balsamico instead got a couple of tablespoonfuls, completely obliterating a tomato-avocado vinaigrette that should have been the star of the dish.

If you've got time, try to reserve a table at the eight-seat chef's counter. There you interact one-on-one with Di Benedetto while choosing from three tasting menus: The Chef's Choice four-course dinner ($52), the eight-appetizer "Gaetapas" ($42) and the no-holds-barred, reservations-required Ultimate ($85).

The ambitious dessert list includes some old standbys, such as tiramisu and a terrific torta di zucca (butternut squash cheesecake), a fine flourless chocolate cake with chocolate-hazelnut semifreddo and a fun dish of almond semifreddo drizzled with chocolate and rum, then flamed at the table.

Gregarious service is a plus, in large part because Wendy, Gaetano's wife, is the supervisor patrolling the dining room. There is a brief wine list with thoughtful choices, and prices are modest. Just the way a neighborhood likes them.

Gaetano's

7636 W. Madison St., Forest Park; 708-366-4010

Open: Dinner Mon.-Sat.

Entree prices: $15-$27

Credit cards: A, DC, M, V

Reservations: Recommended Thu., weekends

Noise: Conversation-friendly

Other: Wheelchair accessible; valet weekends

Ratings key:

**** Outstanding

*** Excellent

** Very Good

* Good

Satisfactory

Unsatisfactory

Reviews are based on no fewer than two visits. The reviewer makes every effort to remain anonymous. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.